The View from Westminster

Tuesday, November 28, 2023 Watch Robert Jenrick's positioning on immigration Robert Jenrick, the no 2 at the Home Office, is an interesting politician. He is one of the three mid-ranking ministers, along with Rishi Sunak and Oliver Dowden, who backed Boris Johnson early on in 2019 to give him the momentum to become prime minister. Today he said in the Commons that there were "strong arguments" for an absolute cap on the numbers of immigrants allowed each year. "There are definitely strong arguments for using caps, whether in general or on specific visas – but these are conversations that we need to conclude within government," he said.  It is unusual for a minister to advocate one side of an argument that is still raging in government. It suggests – along with reports that he might be considering resigning – that he thinks he can put himself at the head of demands in the Conservative Party for dramatically lower immigration. Quiz question  Who was the runner-up to Tom Watson in the 2015 Labour deputy leadership election? Answer at the bottom of today's email Daily briefing Sunak hits back at Greek PM over broken vow in Elgin Marbles row No 10 rejected a loan of the Parthenon sculptures because it would be a slippery slope to the return of more artefacts to other countries Rishi Sunak must find another country if Rwanda plan fails, says William Hague A deportation scheme is a 'necessary component' of plan to stop the boats, says PM's mentor Covid inquiry: Michael Gove apologises for government mistakes More colourful WhatsApp messages exchanged with Dominic Cummings leave us none the wiser Most commented Articles driving the biggest conversations Brexit gave Britain freedom to 'make a mess of it ourselves', says Nigel Farage How the government got into a mess over immigration What else do you need to know today? ● Rishi Sunak welcomed the first transatlantic jet flight powered by cooking oil; he called it a net zero flight, but it used a fuel mixture that is still 30 per cent fossil-based ● Blair McDougall, head of the Better Together campaign in the 2014 Scottish referendum, has been selected as the Labour candidate against Kirsten Oswald, SNP MP for East Renfrewshire ● Richard Hughes, head of the Office for Budget Responsibility told the Commons Treasury Committee: "It is very difficult to assess the credibility of the government's spending plans, because after March of 2025 the government doesn't have any spending plans" Reading list ● I wrote for Independent Premium about Rishi Sunak's spat with the Greek prime minister over the Elgin Marbles – there is no market for that kind of jingoism, so Sunak just looks petulant ● Luisa Omielan disagrees with the Prodigy changing the lyrics to "change my pitch up"  ● Rachel Cunliffe reports on Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, who urges higher taxes and proportional representation (paywall)  Inside the bubble Our political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for tomorrow After Commons questions on Scotland at 11.30am, Rishi Sunak will face Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions at noon. MPs will then debate the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill.  Immigration and asylum will be on the agenda when Matthew Rycroft, permanent secretary at the Home Office, is questioned by the Home Affairs sCommittee at 9.30am. Jeremy Hunt will be quizzed by the Treasury Committee at 2.15pm. Labour will launch a plan for small businesses. The Covid inquiry will hear from Sajid Javid, as a former health secretary, at 10am and Dominic Raab, the former deputy PM, at 2pm.  Quotation of the day "Henry VI, who became monarch in 1422, suffered from catatonic inertia for 18 months, beginning in the middle of 1453. Since then, we've never had so inert a government – until today." Jacob Rees-Mogg, on GB News Quiz answer: Stella Creasy The Independent proudly partners with Refuge and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 Join the conversation or follow us Download the free Independent app Please do not reply directly to this email   You are currently registered to receive The Independent's View From Westminster newsletter.   To unsubscribe from The Independent's View From Westminster newsletter, or to manage your email preferences please click here.   This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345 Read our privacy notice and cookie policy